RENTON — Eddie Lacy couldn’t help but laugh when he saw who the Seahawks’ Week 1 opponent would be.
After spending the first four seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers, Lacy signed a one-year deal with Seattle in March. Now, a return trip to Lambeau Field serves as the first regular-season outing for Lacy with his new team.
“I thought I would be back there, I was there for four years and I thought it would continue,” Lacy said Thursday. “Sometimes it doesn’t work out like that. Sometimes a change of scenery isn’t bad.”
Lacy was Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2013 and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl after rushing for 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Packers. His final season in Green Bay was derailed due to an ankle injury that ended his season after just five games.
“We have to recognize Eddie was an excellent, excellent player for us for three years there and it is unfortunate that you don’t get to continue on with your own guys and that is usually the way we go forward,” Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said. “He made a decision that he felt like he needed to make, so I just hope he is doing great off the field and we look forward to competing against him on Sunday.”
Seattle went after Lacy in free agency because the team wanted to add a bruising running back. While Lacy probably won’t replicate what Marshawn Lynch did, Seattle hopes his ability to break tackles and wear a defense down will pay dividends. While the Packers had concerns about Lacy’s weight, he was ultimately having a very successful start to the season before the ankle injury. Lacy rushed for 360 yards in five games and had a career-best 5.1 yards per attempt.
The Seahawks added weight clauses to his contract, which he’s apparently cleared at every check point. Lacy gained 51 yards on 14 carries in the preseason.
“He’s ready. He’s had a great run with us getting to this point. He’s done everything we have asked of him, for weeks and weeks now,” head coach Pete Carroll said.
“We’ve seen him for years. We know what kind of player he is, so he’s had enough glimpses of the look in preseason that you can see him get to rumbling with the football. We’re fired up about him playing and he’s ready for a full load.”
Lacy said he’s spent the last few days contemplating whether he would attempt a “Lambeau Leap” if he managed to find the end zone against his former team.
“Part of me wants to but I don’t want to get pushed down,” Lacy said. “I don’t know how the crowd will react to that. Maybe I can find a small patch of Seahawks fans and do it there, but I’ve thought about it.”
Ultimately, he’s looking forward to getting on the field again and facing his former teammates.
“It’s just a real historic place and the fans take pride in making it as loud and as uncomfortable as they can,” Lacy said. “For me, it’s going to be the first time being on the opposite side of that. I’ll get to see how it is from the other side.”
